234 SHAKESPEARE'S [PARROT. 



if their skins after they be dead be hung up in the 

 presence of one another, the hair will fall off from the 

 panther. If anything be anointed with broth wherein a 

 cock hath been sodden, neither panthers nor lions will ever 

 touch it. Leopards are afraid of a certain tree called 

 Leopard's-tree. Panthers are also afraid of the skull of a 

 dead man, and run from the sight thereof. Likewise in 

 Armenia there are certain fishes which are poison to lions,, 

 bears, wolves, lynxes and panthers ; the powder of this fish 

 the inhabitants put into the sides and flesh of their sheep, 

 goats and kids without all harm to these beasts, but if 

 the panthers or any ravening beast come and devour any 

 of those sheep so dressed, presently they die by poison. 

 In hunting of wild beasts the wary woodman must make 

 good choice of his horse, not only for the mettle and 

 agility which are very necessary, but also for the colour; 

 for the grey horse is fittest for the bear and most terrible 

 to him, the yellow or fire-colour against the boar, but the 

 brown and reddish-colour against the panther. Leopards 

 and panthers also love wine above all other drink. If the 

 skin or hide of a leopard being taken and flayed be covered 

 or laid upon the ground, there is such force and virtue in 

 the same that any venomous or poisonous serpent dare not 

 approach into the same place where it is so laid. The 

 gall of a pahther being received into the body either in 

 meat or drink, doth instantly and out of hand kill or 

 poison him which doth so receive it. 



Topsell, "Four-footed Beasts," s.v. Pardal. 



Parrot. 



MERCHANT OF VENICE, iii. 5, 51 



THE Parrot can endure any other kind of water in any 

 wise, but dies of rain ; and therefore they build in Mt. 

 Gilboa, because there it seldom or never rains. It drinks 

 wine freely, and is much pleased with the sight of a virgin. 



Hortus Sanitatis, bk. iii. 102. 



SHE hath an head as hard as is her beak ; when she 

 learns to speak, she must be beaten about the head with a 

 rod of iron, for otherwise she careth for no blows. 



Holland's Pliny, bk. x. ch. xlii. 



